Hello,
I adopted my Bella a year ago. She's around 4 or 5 years old.
When is eary in the morning and there aren't many ppl around I take her to the beach I want to let her run but she wont stay with me. She wont come back when I call, she wont even play with me. She is completely indifferent to me. She will just go away and I always end up chasing her for miles.
Is there anyway I can teach her to stay with me? Is she to old to learn that. Are there some dogs that wont ever learn that? Its very frustrating.
Tx
Your dog relishes the freedom from restraint. There are several methods that will work, but many of rhe suggestions will only increase the likelihood of the dog being even more difficult to capture the next time she has the opportunity.
If your dog is not destructive or a cat chaser, does not bother others, or cause mayhem while on her own, then recall would be the first issue to address.
If you have access to a large fenced in property, in this case, the larger the better, one where the dog can behave in the same manner as the beach, take her there. Distractions are not an issue, but make this a better way to train with distractions, and you can freely work without others complaining, Drive or walk (with the leash attached) to the middle of the fenced area. The dog cannot escape, and cause trouble or run into traffic and become endangered. Release the dog. She will begin to do her thing, and eventually will wander further from you. At this time, you are simply observing her. As the distance between you and the dog increases, there will be a point where the dog will stop and look back at you. This is the limit of her comfort zone. She will look back to make sure you are where you should be. She may continue to increase her distance. But remember the point where she looks. In my case, that point for my dog was well beyond the distance that I was comfortable. At some point, call to her. Does she ignore you as if she didn't hear you, but you know she did? Does she look at you, then continue on? Or does she begin to return? If the dog completely ignores you, when she is not looking, quickly go from the spot where she last saw you. Hunker down some so you will be difficult to see. Call to her again. Until or unless she stops and looks back, continue to go to different places without her seeing you until she actually realizes you are not where you are supposed to be. She should become concerned, and begin to look for you. When she can't see you, she might become frantic, and run around, worried she might be left. When she begins to panic because youu are gone, stand up and she will bee line to you. There will be no need to do anything other than to great her excitedly and relief you did not lose her. Do this every time you can visit the area, or a different place as long as the dog can not escape from the enclosure. One day, the dog will stop to look back closer to your comfort limit, and before the one she established previously. Continue to hide and call her and let her panic when she thinks you left her. This takes as long as it takes, but one day, finally, she will stop to look back right where you wanted. Call her back to you. If she does not recall, hide and this time, do not let her see you until she has become desperate and really frightened that you left her. I have waited all day for a GSD I owned to finally want to go home then couldn't find me and panicked. When, or if the dog won't come when you call, and you are tired of her keeping you out, call her, and say, 'Let's go, that's one!' If she does not obey. Call her, 'Let's Go!' No response, 'That's TWO!' Still not obeying? 'OK! That did it! Thats THREE! Come now!' Then go to the car, fire up the engine, then blow the horn. Then put the car in gear and drive away. The dog should begin to chase after you. Srop and let her in. Thank her for coming. Do not admonish her for being slow about it. This is a positive reinforcement technique. After a while she should come to you at the number two, if not drive away so she will chase or follow you. Stop the car, but when she reaches you, drive away again making her keep following. If, when you stop she does not hop in right off, drive off making her chase you. When she is exhausted, she will gladly get in the car....Keep making her work for the ride home until she comes at the first call to go.this should give you verbal control and better recall. Depending on what you demand or expect, you may need to continue modifying her behavior, or consider her a success. This is only my opinion and is not a recommendation on training. However, it does work, so if this sounds reasonable, try it, if not, ignore my suggestion. But when you see my dogs come running being off leash, rather than ignoring me, you can be assured they know what it is like to run to catch their ride, so they come when I call to avoid the chasing after me to get in..
